Bon Anniversaire Louis Braille!!

The Gutenberg of people who are blind

Born on 4th January 1809, Louis Braille's pivotal work changed the lives of blind and visually impaired people around the globe. Did you know Louis Braille himself, was blind? He was well motivated to develop better systems to assist blind people with reading and writing. His Braille system has become a worldwide standard that has opened up opportunities for anyone suffering from vision impairment. He has been described as the Gutenberg of people who are blind! (Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, and in doing so revolutionised communication amongst people).

Louis spent much of his life refining and extending his revolutionary system and it as been adapted for use in languages throughout the world. Thanks to the Braille system, vision impaired people have a much better way to communicate and navigate, thus providing them with more independence.

Activity for Teachers, Parents and Students

Do some research and discover the lives of some Amazing People who had vision impairment, yet still made major contributions. Explore how they achieved what they did and what motivated them, and explain how their contributions have changed the world.

There have been many great individuals affiliated with the development of systems to enhance the lives of those who are vision impaired or blind. Can you name any?

Take a look into the life of Louis Braille - How did Louis become blind? - How did he first discover that there may be a way for the blind to ‘read’? - What was this first idea called?

Put yourself into the shoes of Louis Braille or any blind person - With the assistance of your teacher and class for safety, close your eyes and walk from your familiar seat to the front of the class to find an object. - Write down how you felt trying to navigate just this short distance even though you are aware of your surroundings.

There is much that we all take for granted, but there are always lessons to be learned! Happy Birthday Louis Braille.

Our historical greats and their achievements are a solid foundation of proof for teachers, parents and students, that determination, hard work and commitment pay off. This provides an effective way of reinforcing work ethics and an appreciation of how others have, not only changed our world, but truly encouraged and inspired our generation.

Explore how Meridian High School has been raising aspirations by becoming an AMAZING PEOPLE SCHOOL!

We put amazing stories into the hands of students. Amazing People like Marie Curie, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman and Mahatma Gandhi, demonstrated integrity, passion, courage, tenacity and vision. These are just some of the characteristics that inspire students to achieve amazing things.

Our interactive story world and resources have been developed to support cross-curricular learning, character education and inspire the amazing people of tomorrow. Within our newAmazing People Schools site, you will find both Teacher and Student Zones, packed with engaging and unique resources!

Amazing People Schools is a division of Amazing People Worldwide - a global organization that helps individuals and businesses achieve their full potential.

FOUNDER - Dr Charles Margerison is a Chartered Education Psychologist and has consulted widely for major organizations in the fields of organizational and educational psychology. He was previously Professor of Management at Cranfield University, UK, and the University of Queensland, Australia. Dr Margerison founded Amazing People Worldwide in 2006 and is supported by a dedicated global team. He previously co-founded Emerald Insights, and Team Management Systems and has authored more than 30 books.